The first
christening records of the Colenso family in this area were the christenings of
three children in Mawgan in Meneage, their father was
recorded as John.
William Calensoe, 23 May 1568
Peter Kelensowe, 29 June 1573
Katherine Calensoe, 5 June 1579
In the
Cornwall Muster Roll of 1569 a John Calensow is listed as one of nine men
furnished by Mr Vyvyan (of Trelowarren).
In the next
seven decades there are several instances of a Calensoe man witnessing
documents related to the Trelowarren Estate holdings and the following is a
listing, made in December 1754, of deeds and leases related to the Vyvyans:
“Manor of Trelowarren;
also Chyreen, Pellawin, Carleen, Relewas, Calensoe, Halriggy, Polgreen,
Trelowarren Mills, land’s in St. Martin’s churchtown, Trewince, Rosewick,
Gwendreath, Chycarne, Trevassack, Bojenow, Skiburriow, Skyburriow Mills,
Bargwitha and Bolosack in St Mawgan-in-Meneage, St Martin in Meneage, St
Keverne, Grade, Cury, Mullion, Wendron, Camborne, Helston”
To this day
there is a cottage on the Trelowarren Estate called Colenso. It was probably a
gamekeeper’s cottage and has remained largely unchanged with no electricity,
telephone or water.
In 1600
William Calenso married Seblye Michell, daughter of John, in St. Martin in Meneage.
The christening records (from the IGI) indicate that they had the following
children:
Peter Callensow, 5 October 1605, St
Martin in Meneage
John Calensow, 4 April 1607, St
Martin in Meneage
Margaret Callensow, 21 September
1608, St Martin in Meneage
Grace Callensowe, 17 February 1610,
St Martin in Meneage
Richard Kalensowe, 14 February 1612,
Mawgan in Meneage
Wilmot Kalensow, 1 November 1615,
Mawgan in Meneage
Johane Calensowe, 4 January 1614,
Mawgan in Meneage
Anne Calensow, 18 March 1619, Mawgan
in Meneage
Katherine Callensaw married Andrew Cornow in St
Martin in Meneage in 1609.
The
administration of John Cornow of St Martin in Meneage, granted in 1606,
highlights a possible connection between this branch of the family and the
Lelant branch. One of bondsman for the administration was James Calinsow,
husbandman of Lelant. The inventory was taken by William Calenso and others.
Charitye
Calensowe was christened in Constantine in 1631. She is also recorded as
Paskowe, with her father William and mother Margery. She may have been the
daughter of the elder William, or there may have been a son of this name born
before Peter in 1605.
Margaret
Calensow also had a daughter in 1635, called Gillian. Gillian later married
Nicholas Robartes in St Keverne in 1657. They had three children. Margaret is
recorded as paying the Poll tax in 1660 in St Keverne.
Grace
married John Curtis in 1641 in St Keverne and died there in 1670. She had two
sons.
Johane (or Joan) married Thomas Coade in 1657
in St Keverne.
Peter
Callensow doesn’t appear to have married but the following facts indicate that
he lived passed infancy:
9 April 1632 he witnessed the lease
for the Manor Bray;
7 October 1632 he witnessed a Vyvyan
moiety of Resparva;
1641 he signed the Protestation
Return in Mawgan in Meneage.
The head of
the Vyvyan family at this time was the first baronet, Sir Richard. He was
appointed Colonel of the Regiment of Foot in the Hundred of Powder. He also set
up the Mint for the Royalist forces and was made a baronet in 1664 as a reward
for his services. As a “Vyvyan” man he may have left
Cornwall or died during the Civil War.
Richard
Kalensowe was also still around:
1641 he signed the Protestation
Return in Phillack
1660 he paid the Hearth Tax in
Mawgan in Meneage
1662 he paid the Hearth Tax in
Landewednack
1689 a will was proven in Sithney
There is no
evidence that John (b.1607) survived infancy, but he may be the patriarch of
the family connected to Madron,
The
original John may have been born in Uny Lelant and he may be the John
Collynsowe who dies in Madron in 1586. Jane who is buried in Madron in 1607 may
have been his wife. Unfortunately the will proven in Uny Lelant in 1591 has not
survived and the records are too patchy during this era to support or disprove
this speculation.